Meet My Four-Legged Baby

In October 2002, I lost my baby, Gizmo, due to kidney failure. Two months later, cancer took my husband.

For the next eleven months I lived alone, feeling like I was being punished, surely I had done something wrong. It was lonesome but I adjusted and kept busy with work, learning to use my husband’s computer, and crafts.

My elderly little neighbor felt that I shouldn’t be alone and she was constantly finding dogs that she thought would be right for me. She was persistent with her findings until I agreed to go look at a 3 month old pup she had found advertised on a radio talk show. It was just a few miles from my home and the owners were asking $25.00.

On a chilly Saturday afternoon in November, my grand-daughter and I went to look at the pup. The address was easy to find but I was extremely hesitant to turn into the dirt drive with a huge rut down the center. The drive went up a hill to a trailer that was in desperate need of repair. I couldn’t see the door of the trailer, only the porch that had been draped with tarps to block the wind. There were numerous make shift storage sheds and junk cars on concrete blocks scattered between the trees, piles of firewood and other piles of junk everywhere.

If you have a visual in your mind as to what a mess this place was, use your imagination to visualize the couple that lived there. I don’t think either of them had any teeth.

When we finally decided to get out of the car, this little mangy looking ragged ball of fur came running out from behind the tarp on the porch. He ran up to me, begging to be picked up and loved. 

Needless to say, I fell in love! But I couldn’t take him home that day. I wasn’t prepared for a new baby in the house so we went home with this picture. The couple agreed to keep him one more day, giving me time to go to the store to purchase everything necessary.

The couple had named him Clyde but as soon as I laid eyes on him, I decided he looked like an Oscar and Oscar was meant to be mine.

This poor little guy had never had a bath or haircut or been to the vet. There were several other dogs there and it was evident they had been fed a low quality dog food. It was evident from piles of you know what in the yard. This little flea infested fur ball wasn’t house broke or paper trained so he did his business when and where he wanted.

Oscar was terrified on the ride home, sitting in my grand-daughter’s lap, wrapped in a towel to keep the fleas on him and not on us or in my car. I didn’t let him in the house until the bath water was ready. At this point, he was probably beginning to hate me.

It was a day of “first” for this homely little thing.

• first car ride
• first bath
• first time to wear a collar or be put on a leash
• first nutritious puppy chow

Trying to break his unacceptable potty habits just about broke me. He had a stubborn streak but so do I and mine proved to be much larger than his.

Anyone who has ever had a puppy knows that they like to chew so I bought him lots of chew sticks and toys. What a waste of money! He preferred to chew on things that got him in so much trouble. Some of his preferences were:

• the night stand by my bed
• any shoe left on the floor for more than a minute
• a book
• a road atlas
• a bookshelf
• a bottle of Elmer’s glue

The night that he chewed my work shoes – both of them - was the night that he almost lost his happy home. I had to use a tube of cement type glue to repair the damage and hope that it wasn’t too noticeable. 

After months of feeling regret about bringing this little monster into my home, Oscar has been reformed into one of the sweetest little guys I could ever ask for. He is now the one with complaints about me. His biggest objection is the amount of time I devote to the computer. He lets me know this by getting in my chair the minute I get up.

Oscar still has one embarrassing problem that he has not been able to overcome. When he gets excitied, he loses control of his bladder. It is embarrassing and funny at the same time, especially when he is standing on his hind legs. Look out! It shoots straight up.

I still can’t leave a pair of shoes sitting on the floor. Why put temptation in his face?

Explore posts in the same categories: Pets

Tags: bath, chew, fleas, puppy, puppy chow, shoes

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